What does "precept" mean?

A rule or principle, especially one governing personal conduct.

What is a synonym for "precept"?

Common synonyms include: principle, teaching, a belief, adage, ana, analects.

//ˈpɹiːsɛpt// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level

Noun

1
A rule or principle, especially one governing personal conduct.
"Precept guides, but example draws."
2
a doctrine that is taught wordnet
3
A written command, especially a demand for payment.
4
rule of personal conduct wordnet
5
An order issued by one local authority to another specifying the rate of tax to be charged on its behalf. UK

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6
An order issued by one local authority to another specifying the rate of tax to be charged on its behalf.; A rate or tax set by a precept. UK
"The Parish Council is financed by raising a small levy - the precept - on all residential properties within the parish. http://www.medsteadpc.org/community/medstead-parish-council-12575/home"

Verb

1
To act as a preceptor; to teach a physician-in-training by supervising their clinical practice. US, intransitive
2
To teach (something) by precepts. obsolete, transitive
"[T]he tvvo commended rules by him [Aristotle] ſet down, vvhereby the axioms of Sciences are precepted to be made convertible, and vvhich the latter men have not vvithout elegancy ſurnamed; the one the rule of truth, becauſe it preventeth deceipt; the other the rule of prudence, becauſe it freeth election, are the ſame thing in ſpeculation and affirmation, vvhich vve novv obſerve."

"An ounce of practice is worth a pound of precept."

Borrowed from Late Latin praeceptum, form of praecipiō (“to teach”), from Latin prae (“pre-”) + capiō (“take”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.